Operation Praghat: Assam STF busts Jihadi terror module, 8 arrested

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaDecember 19, 2024

In an intelligence-led operation dubbed “Operation Praghat,” the Assam Police Special Task Force (STF), with the assistance of Kerala and West Bengal Police, dismantled a terror module linked to the Global Terrorist Organisation (GTO). The operation, conducted nationwide, led to the arrest of eight individuals, including a Bangladeshi national, who were allegedly preparing to execute subversive activities in India. 

The STF initiated the operation after prolonged intelligence gathering on clandestine activities conducted under the direction of Md. Farhan Israk, a close associate of Jasimuddin Rahmani, chief of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an affiliate of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). The operation unearthed plans to establish sleeper cells across Assam, West Bengal, and Kerala, aiming to destabilise communal harmony and national security. 

A Bangladeshi national, Md. Sad Radi, alias Shab Seikh, was allegedly deployed in India in November 2024 to propagate extremist ideologies and recruit like-minded individuals. Radi’s movements through Assam, West Bengal, and Kerala were monitored before his arrest in Kerala. 

On the night of 17-18 December 2024, coordinated search-and-seizure operations were conducted in Kerala, West Bengal, and Assam. Those apprehended include: 

– Md. Sad Radi (Bangladeshi national, arrested in Kerala). 

– Minarul Sheikh and Md. Abbas Ali (arrested in Murshidabad, West Bengal). 

– Nur Islam Mandal, Abdul Karim Mandal, Mojibar Rahman, Hamidul Islam, and Enamul Hoque (arrested in Assam). 

The STF recovered incriminating materials, including distorted religious texts, digital evidence, Bangladeshi documents, and mobile phones containing suspicious communication with handlers in Bangladesh and Pakistan. 

Initial investigations revealed that the group was engaged in creating sleeper cells to conduct violent activities. Meetings organised in Murshidabad and Falakata, West Bengal, focused on targeting members of Hindu organisations, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and plotting assassinations of prominent leaders to incite communal unrest. 

The suspects were allegedly involved in procuring arms and ammunition, intending to wage war against the Indian state. Md. Sad Radi, with the support of local operatives such as Nur Islam Mandal and Mazibur Rahman, reportedly orchestrated recruitment drives and strategic plans for ABT and AQIS. 

Notably, Nur Islam Mandal had been previously arrested in connection with Dhaligaon Police Station Case No. 161/2015 under charges including conspiracy, waging war against the state, and arms procurement. Currently out on bail, Mandal is alleged to have resumed his involvement in terror activities, highlighting lapses in monitoring released suspects. 

The STF has filed an FIR (STF PS Case No. 21/2024) under multiple sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Passport Act, and the Indian Penal Code. The operation is being monitored at the highest levels of Assam Police, and further investigations aim to identify and dismantle additional nodes of the terror network.